Whenever I book a session, I try to educate my clients on what to wear for their portrait session: Solid colored, neutral tones work best. Try to stay away from super busy patterns. Coordinate your family, but you don’t have to all wear the exact same shirts. Accessorize and don’t forget cute shoes!
But sometimes I think it is easier for people to actually see what I am talking about so that is why I have created a couple inspiration boards on Pinterest for you to view. These two boards, one especially for kids and one for everyone else, are great ways to get inspiration and tips for you next photo shoot. There’s a little bit for everyone on these boards, including guys.
I’m loving the layered look right now which works great for photo session because you can take off a layer for a completely different look. Have a really bright color or super busy patterned shirt that you just love but don’t want it to over power the photograph? Simply put a solid colored jacket or scarf on to help tone it down.
Coming in for a family session and don’t want to have everyone look the same? Not a problem! The key is to keep everyone in the same color scheme. So pick one color – like black, navy, brown, white, etc – and go from there. Find colors that are closely related in color and value (measurement of the brightness of a color). For example, you choose to have everyone where blue for your session. Try to find tops that are all navy, or all bright blue, or maybe you prefer a pale blue. Which ever color you choose will work, just have everyone in one value, like navy, so you blend well together. If you have the majority of your family in navy and 1 person in pale blue, all the focus will then be on that person because their clothing will be the brightest value. Easiest way to tell if you are on the right track? Lay all the outfit together on the floor. If one sticks out there, then it will in the photograph too. This same color/value rule also applies to pants. Stick with either all jeans, or all khakis, or all dress pants.
And don’t forget that accessories help make or break an outfit! Sure, solid colored, neutral tones work best for a timeless photograph but that can get boring. Help bring some life to your outfit with accessories: necklaces, bracelets, scarfs, hats or maybe even a fun shoe with a pop of color or pattern. Just remember, your eye goes to the brightest part of the photograph so if your outfit is mostly dark, for example, don’t wear your bright white athletic shoes (guys this means you too!) or they will be the focus of the picture. And unless we are shooting an ad for Nike, this isn’t the look we’re going for. 🙂
So what are you waiting for – go get inspired and get shopping. Oh and don’t forget to book your session with us! Enjoy!
